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Well, well, well.
Looks like we’ve got the first major upset in our quest to crown Atlanta’s most dreadful and delightful sports moments.
🤗 On the happiness side of the bracket, the Olympics (a No. 7 seed) absolutely dominated UGA’s two recent football titles, earning about 60% of y’all’s votes. Color me surprised!
🫣 The misery index stuck to the chalk, with UGA’s 2nd-and-26 overtime loss in the national championship game (the No. 2 seed) fending off the Thrashers’ departure.
Today we’re voting on our final pair of first round matchups — the No. 1 seeds versus the No. 8s. And I bet you can guess what that means.
THE MISERY MATCHUP
28-3 vs. the 10-run inning
Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
The No. 1 seed: Super Bowl LI. 28-3. The pièce de résistance, the crown jewel, the immortal embodiment of Atlanta sports suffering.
I watched this game with my wife and two other casual football fans. As the Falcons built up the lead, they celebrated. I sat mostly silent, well aware of the awful potential that still lurked. But even then … surely not, right?
Surely so!
We won’t belabor it. But Tom Brady and Patriots launched the largest comeback in Super Bowl history, winning in overtime.
And the Falcons, well … that Julio Jones catch should’ve sealed things up even after things started getting hairy. Fans will forever hold a grudge against Kyle Shanahan. And the franchise will continue catching strays on every Super Bowl broadcast (and many, many others!) until the end of time.
Splendid.
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
The No. 8 seed: In terms of straight up deflation and embarrassment, it’s hard to top the Braves’ performance in Game 5 of the 2019 National League Division Series.
You know … the one where Mike Foltynewicz managed to get one out — and the Cardinals scored 10 runs in the first inning? Which broke some all-time records and tied others? And eliminated the Braves, marking the 10TH STRAIGHT TIME they’d lost their first postseason series?
How could you forget?
THE FOND MEMORY FACEOFF
The ‘95 Braves vs. Tech’s Final Four run
Credit: Jonathan Newton/AJC file photo
Credit: Jonathan Newton/AJC file photo
The No. 1 seed: There’s nothing like your first. Especially after years of trying.
Tom Glavine’s stellar eight innings and David Justice’s solo shot gave the Atlanta a 1-0 Game 6 win over Cleveland — and the 1995 World Series title.
After twice flirting with glory (and enduring a leaguewide strike), the Braves finally had their ring. And lest we forget: this also marked the city’s first championship in any professional sport.
As Skip Caray so eloquently summed it up: “Yes! Yes! Yes! The Atlanta Braves have given you a championship! Listen to this crowd! A mob scene on the field!”
Credit: Sunny Sung/AJC file photo
Credit: Sunny Sung/AJC file photo
The No. 8 seed: Is there anything better than a lengthy March Madness run?
Props to the “Lethal Weapon 3″ squad of 1989-90, but today we’re talking about the 2003-04 Georgia Tech men’s team that made it all the way to the title game.
After losing superstar Chris Bosh to the NBA, B.J. Elder, Jarrett Jack and crew rambled through the regular season and earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
They dispatched Northern Iowa, Boston College, Nevada and Kansas before their national semifinal matchup with Oklahoma State — and Will Bynum’s game-winning runner with a little over a second left to play.
The Jackets fell to the UConn juggernaut in the championship game. But gracious, what a ride.
That’s all we got for today. Vote, vote, vote — and stay tuned to Sports Daily for more results and matchups in the coming days.
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